SWINDON businesses have been urged to throw their weight behind the 2012 Olympic bid.

The International Olympic Committee arrives in London today for four days to examine the city's plans for the 2012 Olympics.

Barry Lingard, the chief executive of the Swindon Initiative, says although the games would be based in London, there would still be scope for Swindon business to benefit from contracts as part of the building and hospital programme.

Mr Lingard pointed to three of the major firms in Swindon Nationwide, Zurich and RWE npower who are the major sponsors of football, rugby and cricket in this country.

All three are partners of the Swindon Initiative, which aims to help the regeneration of Swindon by working with the public and private sectors.

Mr Lingard said: "Swindon backs the bid. We are ideally placed strategically, geographically and with our communications network. The companies based within the Swindon area, both large and small, can see the major benefits which will result from a successful London bid for us and the UK as a whole.

"Businesses should be supporting the bid there's going to be a wealth of opportunities ahead."

The South West Regional Development Agency is holding a reception at the Weymouth and Portland national sailing academy in Dorset on Monday.

The academy would be the venue for all sailing events if the London 2012 bid were to succeed.

RDA chairwoman Juliet Williams said: "The RDA's role is to help create lasting economic success in south west England.

"It has joined the effort to back the bid because of the opportunities it presents in this region for new jobs, businesses, facilities, and infrastructure.

"Experience in other host countries has shown that substantial and lasting economic gains can be achieved across the participating country from increased tourism, sales of products and services and improved health through increased participation in sport."

Last month Swindon Chamber of Commerce which has also pledged its support for London's bid Swindon Initiative and the RDA arranged for Mick Aitken to speak to Swindon firms at the De Vere hotel in Shaw Ridge.

Mr Aitken is an Englishman living in Australia who helped lay the foundations for the Sydney Olympics in 2000, having set up one of the first Government-organised events agencies whose efficiency helped swing the decision for Sydney.

l The Government's culture secretary Tessa Jowell is taking the campaign around Britain this week with the message that victory will bring benefits to the whole country

"This is going to be an important and hectic week for everyone connected with the Olympic bid," she said.

"But I make the time to do this because it is so important that people in the UK outside London realise this is a bid for the whole country, with very real benefits for us all economic, social and sporting.

"That is the message I will be spelling out to all the different groups and individuals I meet."